INSINUATING Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

insinuating 1 of 2

adjective

in-ˈsin-yə-ˌwā-tiŋ

Definition of insinuating

as in charming

likely or intended to win one's affection the fortune hunter's insinuating attentions were having their intended effect on the naive heiress

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

insinuating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of insinuate

as in infiltrating

to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way years were needed for the agent to insinuate himself into the terrorist organization

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in implying

to convey an idea indirectly are you insinuating that I won by cheating?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in inserting

to put among or between others quietly insinuated herself among the concertgoers raptly listening to the piano solo

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of insinuating

Adjective

Rather than viewing the insinuating and undeniably creepy Gacy as an inherent threat, Macmanus finds the tragedy in the disparate and desperate circumstances amid which Gacy might have represented an illusion of hope. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025 In the process, the day-to-day nightmare of Dana’s new reality gets lost, even if the more insinuating discomfort of her present-day reality has been enhanced. — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Dec. 2022 The complaint says that since at least early 2021, McKillips had been posting messages insinuating or explicitly threatening to harm the government or federal agents. — Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 2 Nov. 2022 But Johnson’s pieces were intimate and insinuating, not imposing, rarely much larger than a comic book and easily overlooked. — Vince Aletti, The New Yorker, 22 July 2022 The only sparks in the evening came from countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo (Dionysus/Dracula), who commanded attention at every appearance with his insinuating, chromatic vocal line and some spectacular costumes by Chrisi Karvonides-Dushenko. — Heidi Waleson, WSJ, 10 Aug. 2021 The Harptones had Willie Winfield, a tenor vocalist with immaculate pitch and an insinuating way with a phrase, and Raoul Cita, a gifted vocal arranger who made sure the group's voicings were always distinctive. — Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 3 Aug. 2021

Verb

Skillfully insinuating actors on the order of Tom Hollander (Treasurer Robert Hales) and Stephen Dillane (Archbishop Sudbury) add some spice to the film’s periodic seminars in court scheming and skulking. — Michael Phillips, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026 That’s how grifters such as Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, two former NBA players insinuating themselves clumsily into the transgender sports debate, create value. — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 As the escape-room activity kicks off — the guests have 30 minutes to find Aesha’s crew — the boys find plenty of opportunity to make insinuating jokes about tying up the girls, some (Coop) more wholesome than others (Luke). — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 30 June 2026 One is to emphasize Iago—the guileful, insinuating convincingness of this malicious supervillain, who works on Othello to the point where any reasonable man would be deceived and fooled and worked into a rage that can lead to such a catastrophe. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026 Instead, the group bought ads insinuating that Villegas had been complicit in covering up abuse of minors at his local school district. — Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 15 June 2026 Twice divorced and with two children from previous relationships, Parker, a country girl from Simms, Texas, had a history of quickly insinuating herself into the lives of new friends and craved attention, especially from men, says Bright. — Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026 The words were insinuating, territorial, postwar code from a man to anyone not scanning as local. — Literary Hub, 3 June 2026 Almost a decade ago, a Palos Township trustee came under fire for Facebook comments insinuating that local schools were full of undocumented Middle Eastern students. — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for insinuating

Adjective

While renting a charming Mediterranean Revival-style villa in the Hollywood Hills, the FBI tapped her phone lines and the CIA covertly intercepted and opened her mail.

— Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2026
The author behind the singular Elizabeth Zott returns with ‘Peck & Peck,’ a sharp, charming satire on the pretensions and perils of literary gatekeepers.

— Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of charming

Verb

The show revolved around Crockett and Tubbs, two undercover detectives infiltrating South Florida’s criminal underworld.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Plus, even if a company isn’t intentionally using your data to train their models, one of their many agents could always go rogue, infiltrating company data and hoovering up individual users’ conversations with their chatbots.

— Peter Hall, Scientific American, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of infiltrating

Verb

Delta Force snipers Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart both earned the Medal of Honor for inserting into Mike Durant's crash site and fighting to the bitter and bloody end.

— David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
The resolution does not specify a schedule for inserting discrete one-hour corrections.

— Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of inserting

Adjective

American sophistication has its sprezzatura—Astaire made an art of it—but characteristically turns effortlessness outward, into charm, something ingratiating and democratic-seeming.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
Edward Hoke is an ingratiating, appropriately annoying and attractive Blaze.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of ingratiating

Verb

Kids made good accomplices, tasked with sneaking off on a hunt for the bill.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
At 15, Mariana de Miguel was already sneaking into Mexico City’s nightlife with a fake ID, saving money to see the bands that shaped her imagination.

— Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of sneaking

Verb

The president also defended the need to keep the state of emergency while also indicating his goal of ending it eventually.

— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
The wholesale price index for energy leapt more than 10% in September from August, indicating a significant increase in energy costs faced by manufacturers and other producers.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of indicating

Browse Nearby Words

insinuates

insinuating

insinuation

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Insinuating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insinuating. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of insinuating

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes